September 27, 1978

I saw the comments Dennis Eckersley made in the Boston papers, which were picked up by The Associated Press, about how he believes the pressure this week is squarely on the Yankees. I found them a bit amusing because, after all, it’s the Red Sox who have blown a gargantuan lead and now find themselves in second place. But that’s the Eck; he has a mind of his own, that’s for sure.

Well, apparently Paul Blair saw them, too, because he turned it around tonight after the Yankees won again, 5-1 over the Blue Jays, to maintain their slim one-game lead over the Sox, who also won again.

“Sure it’s frustrating for the Red Sox,” Blair said. “They’re trying to make a comeback and win the thing, but there’s nothing they can do but look up at the scoreboard and hope we lose. Boston has to win and hope we lose, which puts them in a bad situation.”

Exactly the opposite of Eckersley’s theory. And so the mind games continue. One day after Eckersley tried to heap a little burden on the Yankees, Blair reciprocated. Great stuff, which is just one of the many reasons why this rivalry is sublime, and why this season has become so special.

Paul Blair said the pressure isn't on the Yankees right now, it's on the Red Sox.

Sensing an opportunity with several writers and broadcasters around him, Blair kept going, and I know for a fact he was speaking with the full knowledge that his comments would make their way into the Boston clubhouse.

“Nobody can win all of the time,” he said. “Nobody can go through the entire season smoking. You’re going to have spells when you lose. The difference is Boston lost at the wrong time. They were 14 ahead. We won five in a row, they lost four out of five, and suddenly there was a race again. That’s been the turning point in the season.”

I almost walked away, but then Murray Chass, who works for the Times but has been freelancing for the Boston Globe with the Times on strike, asked Blair if he felt sorry for the Red Sox. I stopped dead in my tracks to hear his reply.

“I do,” he said, much to the delight of all of us who were scribbling in our notepads or recording him. “They had a hell of a year. It’s a shame to see either one of us lose. It just happens that the teams with the best two records are in the same division which is going to be tough for the loser. But I admire the New York Yankees because we came back. If we lose, we can still walk with our heads up. That’s the way you want to end the season – with your head up.”

Ooh, that last crack was a winner. I’m sure that’s going to go over real well in Beantown.

When Blair was done with his diatribe, I wandered over to Reggie Jackson’s locker to see if he’d add any fuel to the fire. He didn’t, opting instead to heap praise on Catfish Hunter, and rightly so. Hunter was masterful again, throwing a six-hitter during which he was never really in trouble. In his last 11 starts he’s 9-1 with an ERA of 1.71.

“Catfish has made a difference,” said Jackson. “I’ve been in the big leagues 11 years and he was my teammate for 10 of them. I’ve seen him better than he was tonight, but he was in complete charge. And he won.”

This one was decided early. The Yankees combined singles by Graig Nettles and Chris Chambliss and an error by Toronto third baseman Roy Howell to load the bases with one out in the second inning. Bucky Dent plated one run with a sacrifice fly, and Willie Randolph singled home two more.

The only other runs in the game came via three solo home runs, by Nettles and Jackson in the third and fifth innings, and by Howell in the fourth for Toronto’s only run.

Lemon was asked about whether he pays attention to the scoreboard and is keeping his eye on what the Red Sox are doing. “I don’t concern myself about what Boston is doing,” Lemon said. “First place is the only place to be. But I don’t think about them. They have a little man running their team and he has his own problems. I can stand the pressure. I’m getting used to winning. Everybody knows, I’ve had enough experience at losing.”

Red Sox update: George Scott homered and singled for two RBIs and Carlton Fisk tripled home two other runs to lead Boston past Detroit, 5-2, and keep the Red Sox snuggled in just one game behind the Yankees with four left to play. “All we need now is help, but that may be a lot to ask,” said Don Zimmer.

Luis Tiant, with relief help from Andy Hassler and Bob Stanley, earned his 12th victory, and he said, “We’ve bounced back and we’re playing like we did before. These guys have really showed me something. People are calling us chokes, but they’ll have to eat that. This team has proven something. Now we just have to see what happens.”

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What Is This?

Welcome back to 1978 and one of the most memorable Major League Baseball seasons ever. Ultimate Year in the Ultimate Rivalry is a unique Democrat and Chronicle online exclusive. It is a historical novel - composed in 21st-century blog style by sports writer Sal Maiorana - that will recreate the remarkable American League East race between the fiercest of rivals, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. And telling this epic story, day by day from spring training through the World Series, are three fictional characters created by Maiorana who will be right in the middle of all the action. Everything you read - the accounts of the games, the quotes, the events that occurred on and off the field - is real. However, remember that the fictional characters - Zack, Maria and Jimmy - are indeed figments of the blogger's imagination.

The Characters

Zack Lassiter: Born in Brooklyn and an ardent Dodgers fan in his youth until their sad exodus to Los Angeles, the 43-year-old sports writer now makes his home in Rochester. He got out of the daily New York City newspaper grind a few years ago and is now the American League East correspondent for the respected national weekly magazine, The Baseball Times. His primary job is to provide in-depth coverage of all the teams in the division, though in 1978 that meant spending the bulk of his time chronicling the exploits of the Yankees and Red Sox.

Maria Martinez: Her grandfather came to America from Puerto Rico in the 1920s, settled in the Bronx to work and raise his family, and became a fan of the Babe Ruth/Lou Gehrig Yankees. Her father grew up rooting for Joe DiMaggio and later Mickey Mantle. So 19-year-old Maria, whose immediate family still lives in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, didn't have much of a choice - she was born to be a Yankee fan. Not that she minds as she proudly wears her interlocking NY cap around campus at New York University, or while working the aisles at Yankee Stadium as a vendor, extolling the virtues of Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry and Thurman Munson.

Jimmy O'Reilly: A lifelong resident of South Boston, the ruddy-faced, big-bellied, cigar-smoking owner of O'Reilly's Pourhouse has never taken a breath of air at a time when his beloved Sawx were world champions. But while they have broken his heart seemingly forever, night after night 58-year-old Jimmy pours drinks for his regular band of patrons - one of whom is Zack Lassiter when he happens to be in town - and roots with unbridled passion for Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk and Jim Rice, just as he did for Johnny Pesky, Ted Williams and Tony Conigliaro.